


Miss Independent

by WuvWinchesterHugs



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Beauty Pageants, De aging spell, Gen, alleged kidnapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 18:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18078524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WuvWinchesterHugs/pseuds/WuvWinchesterHugs
Summary: It's quiet. Too quiet, Dean thinks as he sits in the war room, looking for a new hunt. So far, just a bunch of ghosts, ghouls, simple hunts that really aren't worth the Winchester name. Yes, he knows he's oversimplifying, but lately, he's kinda been hankering for something just a little more exciting. Anything.





	1. Chapter 1

_ Erica Schwartz is ecstatic. She won Ultimate Grand Supreme! This is literally the happiest day of her life! She can't wait to brag about this for days on end, and then it's back to practicing for her next pageant, where she'll definitely be serious competition, now that she's won this one. _

_ But for now, a little celebration is in order. She grabs some non fat frozen yogurt from the complementary buffet, as well as some non fat sparkling apple juice, and makes the walk back to her room. _

_ It's so eerie, now that all the fuss is over, and everyone's winding down for the night. The dark hallways, save for the dim lights. Why does her room have to be so far away? _

_ But all thoughts about that are forgotten, as she feels this creeping chill, like she might not be as alone as she thinks. In fact, she could almost swear someone was following her. _

_ She turns suddenly, but, naturally, no one is there. She shakes her head at her own silliness. Of course nobody's there. This isn't a horror movie. _

_ She makes it to her room without another hitch, goes inside, and calls up her pageant buddies to celebrate with her. _

_ They laugh, giggle, copy each other's routines, and all in all, it's a pretty good celebration. _

_ But all too soon, the other girls are ready to head to bed as well, and wish her good night. _

_ Erica goes to her bed, and tries to fall asleep. But weirdly, she can't. She doesn't know why, since she knows her parents are in the room right next door to her. It's not like she's completely alone. _

_ But no matter which way she positions herself, she's awake. That is, until she hears a sweet song, one that she swears she's heard before. _

_ “Flower, gleam and glow _ _  
_ _ Let your power shine…” _

_ She can't place where she knows it, but she can't deny that it's helping with her sleep problem. _

_ The song continues, _

_ “Make the clock reverse _ _  
_ _ Bring back what once was mine _

_ What once was mine…” _

_ There might've been more, but Erica's already in a deep sleep before she hears it. _

_ The next morning, she wakes up feeling more refreshed than she ever has after a pageant. She heads straight to the bathroom to rinse the sleep out of her eyes. _

_ She turns on the faucet, fills her hands with the cold water, and splashes it in her face. _

_ She turns off the faucet, reaches for a wash cloth, and gently dabs at her face, so as not to scrub it. _

_ She lifts her face to look at herself in the mirror, but when she drops the wash cloth, the scream can be heard throughout the entire hallway. _

 

_3 days later_

 

It's quiet. Too quiet, Dean thinks as he sits in the war room, looking for a new hunt. So far, just a bunch of ghosts, ghouls, simple hunts that really aren't worth the Winchester name. Yes, he knows he's oversimplifying, but lately, he's kinda been hankering for something just a little more exciting. Anything, at this point.

“I got a hunt!” comes the call from Sam, walking into the war room, showing Dean the article on his laptop.

“So get this, all along the southern states, children are going missing.” Sam starts explaining.

“Sam, are you serious? Children go missing all the time. And it's usually just human beings doing the kidnapping!” Dean snaps, exasperated.

“Not so fast. Did a little more digging around,” Sam clicks on another tab, “And oddly enough, many elderly people are being arrested around the same time these kids are going missing.”

Dean just rolls his eyes at Sam's apparent naivety. “Sam, come on. You seriously want to pack up to go hunt old people kidnapping kids? Do you seriously think that's a hunt worth looking into? Or that's even a hunt at all?”

But Sam's got a surprise for Dean, “Look at the kid's names, then look at the names reported for the old people checked in.”

Dean shakes his head in annoyance, but decides to humor Sam. More firepower to tease Sam with once he debunks it.

Except that's not what happened. Immediately, he sees why Sam's showing this, and even better, it's actually a hunt that's not your average salt-and-burn.

“The old peoples’ names are the same as the ones of the missing kids?” But still, “Could be just be using the kid's names to protect their identities, or some cruel sick game..”

Sam shakes his head, having thought of that too, “I tracked down some aging software, and when you put the kids’ pictures into it, they all match the descriptions of the old people detained.”

That seems to be enough for Dean to agree, “Alright. Guess we got us a hunt. Any connection between all the kids?”

This is the part that Sam is kind of dreading, “Actually, not much. Most of them are girls, all around the same age group, with a boy thrown in. The only real connection here is they were all running in the pageant circle.”

Dean can't believe his ears. “The what???”

Sam repeats, “The pageant circle. It means they all participate in beauty pageants, and apparently, even if they don't know all each other personally, they have run into each other while competing. But that's not the main reason they were targeted.”

Sam pulls up an article, “The kids targeted were all winners, ranging from queen, to grand supreme, to ultimate grand supreme. Apparently the kids disappeared sometime during the night, after being crowned.”

Sam pulls up an article on the most recent attack, “Most recent victim is a girl named Erica Schwartz, Ultimate Grand Supreme winner. According to her parents, she'd just gone to her room to celebrate her win with her friends, and they didn't see her for the rest of the night. Come morning, she was gone, with an old woman in her room, insisting she was Erica. Parents called the cops, had her arrested, and as of now, neither Erica nor the other ones have turned up.”

Dean nods, just taking all the information in. “So where are we heading?”

Sam tells him, “Well, I think we should start with Erica. Most recent victim, might still be fresh in her mind, might remember more.”

Dean stand up to head to his room, to pack his duffle bag, “Alright. Go pack your bags, wheels up in an hour.”

Upon going their separate ways, Dean puts a little more pep in his step, just a little bit excited. Looks like the universe answered his request for an exciting hunt.

If only he knew how much more exciting it was gonna get.


	2. Everything Is Not as It Seems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much of what I say about pageants in this fic is purely speculation, having never competed in one. So if there's any inaccuracies, I apologise in advance.

When they finally make it into town, they immediately check into a motel to set up base camp, get into their FBI threads, and head over to the prison the supposed victim is being held.

Dean taps on the window, and both him and Sam flash their badges.

“FBI. We're here to ask the woman that was brought in a few questions.”

The guy behind the window looks a little surprised, “Really? The FBI doesn't have anything better to do than track down a beauty queen?”

Dean calmly explains, “We were called once it was discovered that these so called 'beauty queens’ were disappearing all along the southern. Just want to see what we can find out.”

The guy behind the window presses a button, and when the door buzzes, both Sam and Dean go in.

Within minutes, they're in an interrogation room with the prisoner, and Sam speaks up first.

“Hi, ma'am. We're two FBI agents, and we're just here to-.”

The woman immediately panics, exclaiming, “What? They sent the FBI??? But I swear I'm Erica Schwartz! I told them already, I went to bed after celebrating my win, then I woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror, and I looked like this!” She gestures to herself, referring to the elderly look she's apparently sporting.

Dean doesn't flinch, “Ma'am, I need you to calm down, alright? We believe you, but you need to keep your voice down, so we can ask you a few questions. I assure you, we're gonna do everything we can to get you out of here, alright?”

The woman calling herself Erica takes a few moments to compose herself, and once she's managed that, she nods her head, ready for their questions.

The boys begin their questions, playing off the other,

“Did you notice any cold spots, sulfur-.”

“Any weird smells?”

“Like burning flesh or something like that?”

The questions weren't what she was expecting, so she has no problem denying them, “No, nothing like that. It was a pretty normal night.”

Seeing this wasn't going anywhere, they tried a different line of questions,

“What about weird noises, like a loud wailing or a bang?”

“Really, is there anything at all about that night that stands out to you? Anything that could indicate something was off?”

The woman sighs, annoyed she has to repeat herself, “No, there was nothing! I went down to the buffet to grab some frozen yogurt and sparkling apple juice, then went back up to my room.”

But that actually reminds her of something, “I do remember feeling like someone was watching me. But I just thought that was because it was dark, and the hallways were mostly empty.”

Dean's disappointed to not have anything to go on, “You sure there's nothing else?”

Now that she's thinking about it, she remembers something else, “After my friends went to bed. I remember not being able to sleep.”

Dean doesn't get what that has to do with anything, but Sam apparently does, “Because a day full of pageant stuff is usually exhausting, right? So typically, by the time you're heading to bed, you're ready to crash?”

The woman nods, “Exactly. But not that night. Nothing I did helped. Until I heard this weird song.”

This definitely gets their attention. “A song? Was it in some weird language?” Dean asks.

The woman gives him an odd look, “No, why would you ask that? It was a song from a Disney movie. From Tangled.”

At Dean's blank look, Sam rolls his eyes before apologizing, “Sorry. My partner here isn't familiar with a lot of Disney films unless they're everywhere. Like Frozen.” To Dean, “Tangled is the Disney version of the Rapunzel story.”

That's enough to satisfy Dean, who pulls out a small notepad and asks, “Can you write down the words to the song? Do you remember them?”

The woman reaches for it, “Trust me, I couldn't forget those words if I wanted to. Been having nightmares about that damn song. I tell you, I'm never watching Tangled again.”

Once they have the words, they stand up, Sam telling her, “Thanks for your cooperation. We're gonna do our best to get to the bottom of this.”

Then they leave, Sam immediately looking up the words, as well as the intent behind them.

“So what're we thinking?” Dean asks, driving back to the hotel.

“Well, according to the Disney lore, the song is supposed to be a way to make someone young again. In the movie, the woman sings the song to a flower, and the flower gives back her youth.”

“So you're saying that was really Erica in there?”

“I'm not saying anything. I'm saying, that's what the lore from the Disney movie says. But I don't know what kind of supernatural creature would want to chase after beauty pageant winners. Unless it's…”

Dean warns him, “Don't say it.”

“A witch.”

Dean shakes his head, “You said it. Look, just because we have a creepy song from a Disney movie that apparently works, does not mean it's a spell from a witch, alright? We'll just go back to the hotel, then we'll figure out what it really is.”

There doesn't seem to be anything else to say, so the rest of the drive is silent, Dean driving, Sam digging deeper into the lore.

When they get there, Dean's back to complaining, “Please tell me my wish for a more exciting hunt was not wasted on a witch. I said more exciting, not disgusting.”

Sam reprimands him, “Dean, knock it off. Be glad that we're actually getting to hunt at all.”

Dean just says, “Whatever. I'm not calling it a witch unless we're absolutely sure.”

Sam replies, “You do that. In the meantime, you wanna cook something, or you heading back out to grab dinner?”

Dean immediately answers, “I'm cooking. All this talk about a witch on the loose makes me wanna hole up and never come back out.”

With that, they both head inside, going to their stations, and pretty soon, the small amount of tension is gone, the potential witch all but forgotten.

Unfortunately, once Dean sees all of Sam's research, he has to admit that Sam's right.

“Looks like it's a witch after all. Which, at least, we know how to kill. But how are we supposed to know where this witch is gonna hit next? There's gotta be hundreds of pageants going on right now!”

Sam nods, “True, but the closet one is the,” he squints to read the name, “Little Miss Corpus Christi Pageant. In Corpus Christi, Texas.”

Dean asks, “So what, we just show up and keep an eye on all these girls, paying close attention to the winner?”

Sam shakes his head, “Nope. Here's where it gets complicated. Pageants have gotten really tight in recent years, and only pre-screened judges and family members are allowed to watch the contestants, after numerous arrests were made when it was discovered pedophiles were finding their way in. We'd be escorted out before we'd know what hit us.”

Dean sighs, “So what do we do? Enter it ourselves?”

Sam rebuffs, “Dean! Be reasonable! It's Little MISS Corpus Christi, not Mister. No, if we're gonna get up close and personal, we're gonna have to find someone willing to enter the pageant, keep an eye on her, and hopefully this witch slips up.”

Dean can't believe Sam's suggesting that, “You mean use someone as bait? Are you insane?”

Sam doesn't flinch, just says, “No, Dean. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of options. It's a completely different world from ours. If we want in, we either play by their rules, and possibly save a bunch of people, or we're stuck on the outside, and potentially let a bunch of innocent kids rot in a jail cell. Take your pick.”

Seeing Dean's still not convinced, Sam assures him, “We do this, she'll be constantly under our supervision. One of us watching her, the other snooping around the hotel. She'll never be alone.”

Finally, Dean has to admit that while this whole thing has bad idea written all over it, he concedes,

“Fine. But who are we calling? And who would qualify for the pageant?”

Sam tells him, “Oh, I have two special redheads in mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments comments comments!


	3. Red-Headed Wildflowers

“Are you serious, Sam? You couldn't have picked anyone else?” Dean demands, as Sam sends out a text.

“Well, actually, no, I couldn't. Everyone else is either on a hunt, or out of the game altogether. And who knows? She might find she likes it.” Sam offers as a condolence.

Dean's shaking his head, “I still say this is a bad idea.”

Sam ignores him, telling him, “You've been saying that since you had to admit we're hunting down a witch. And something tells me I'll be hearing it a few more times before this Hunt's finished. Guess we'll both have to grin and bear it, huh?” Sam looks at his phone, and says, “Great. They'll both be here soon. Wanna hustle up some breakfast while we wait?”

Dean goes to do that, shaking his head at the complete absurdity of this whole hunt.

  
  


_ A few hours later _

 

That familiar ugly yellow gremlin pulls up next to the Impala, and upon hearing it, the boys step out of the room, and they can't help but smile when their favorite redhead holds up her Spock hand and says, “What's up, bitches?”

They each take a turn to hug her, and Dean immediately says, “Oh boy, have we missed having you around.”

Charlie hugs back just as hard, “The feelings mutual. So, that being said, what brings me here this time?”

Sam and Dean look at each other for a moment, which Charlie calls them on, “Cut that out! I'm not fluent in silent Winchester eye communication!”

Stunned at being called out, Sam invites her in, “You might wanna sit down for this. It's a doozy. Come on inside, we got breakfast.”

Charlie wants to ask more, but her growling stomach wins out, having driven here on an empty stomach.

“Fine. But I want deets the whole time I'm eating, got it?”

Then she walks into the room, Sam and Dean not too far behind her, sharing another look.

“I said cut that out!” comes the call from inside.

Dean has to sense to blush in embarrassment, before just heading inside without another word or glance. Sam does the same, trying to save face.

This is definitely gonna be a doozy to explain.

 

_ A moment or two later _

  
  


“You want me to WHAT?” Charlie exclaims, setting down her fork.

Both boys are looking at her, having just explained the hunt, as well as what her part would be in it.

“We want, no, need, you to enter as a beauty pageant contestant. And we need you to win a crown.”

Charlie just has to stand up and move away from the table, cause this bombshell is just nuts.

“You guys can't be serious. What exactly about me screams 'beauty queen’?”

Dean, although he agrees with her, mentions, “Well, you were once an actual Queen of Moons, in Moondor.”

Charlie glares at him, “You shut up.” Then turns back to Sam, “I only LARP, I know nothing about beauty pageants! And maybe you didn't notice, but while I'm not your age just yet, I'm still a bit on the older side, don't you think.”

Dean smirks at Sam, cause he thinks they've got him stumped, “Yeah, Sam. How exactly were you planning on fixing the age problem?”

But just then, there's another knock on the door, and Sam gets up to answer it, “Well, the other person I invited here might answer that question.”

Sam opens the door, and who should step through but Rowena MacLeod, on-call witch.

“Awrite, wee jimmies. What's so important I had tae come aw th' way doon haur?”

Naturally, the already larger than life witch's Scottishaccent is as thick as ever, so Charlie's completely lost.

“I'm sorry, but who is this, and why is she here?”

Sam gestures for Rowena to sit on one of the beds, and after filling Rowena in on what's going on, he adds, “...so, we not only need someone to enter the contest, we need someone who knows how to temporarily de-age someone.”

It doesn't take long for both Charlie and Dean to both protest at once.

“Are you crazy? We're trusting her with my life?”

“This woman's tried to kill us in the past! You can't be serious!”

Rowena tries to put her opinion in, “Why dornt I jist do it? I may be centuries auld, but I can still rock a bonnie frock!”

But Charlie and Dean are louder, so no one really pays attention to her.

Finally, Sam exclaims, “Enough!”, sending the whole room into silence.

Sam addresses Charlie first, “Charlie, I'm sorry, but believe me, we wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important. You're our best shot at getting into that pageant.”

To Rowena, “I know, you have no reason to help us, but like I told you, we're after a witch. One that's apparently your age.” This definitely peaks Rowena's interest. “She's apparently been surviving by stealing girls’ youth. With a Disney song.”

Rowena scoffs at this, “Don't be absurd. Everyone knows Disney gets nothing right. If that's what it looks like, there has to be hex bags involved.”

Dean was so caught up in just wanting to get this hunt over with, he actually forgot about hex bags. Looks like he needs to really get his head back in the game. “But Erica told us that she heard a song right before she fell asleep. And come morning, she was a crazy cat lady reject.”

Sam explains to him, “Could be that the song is just something the witch is using as a personal touch, and the hex bag was already in her room. But if these kids are being turned old, that means it probably has to be just the one hex bag.”

Rowena tells them, “An' if that's the case, ye cannot destroy it, you'll risk them bein' stuck as they are now.”

Seeing everyone else connect the dots, Charlie decides to bite the bullet, “So basically what,” she gestures to Rowena, “She would do is the same thing that's happening to all the kids, in reverse?”

Sam nods, “Yeah. But we'd see to it that it's only temporary. Soon as the hunt is over, you're back to Charlie Bradbury, Queen of Moons.”

Charlie knows there's so many different ways this could go wrong, or she could even die. But still. The boys wouldn't have asked her to come here if they thought she couldn't do it. And who knows? Maybe she'll actually have some fun.

Having made her decision, Charlie nods, “Alright. What do I have to do?”


	4. You Know the Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All natural, all the way. None of that is allowed. Just what you bring to the table.”
> 
> Charlie's sure she's missing something, “Are you serious? What bizarro, alternate universe have I stepped into here?”

“I changed my mind. I don't wanna do this.” Charlie says, as Rowena flips through a spellbook, Sam goes about securing them a spot at the hotel the pageant is being held at, and Dean is faced with the task of making sure Charlie doesn't back out, like she is now.

Dean rolls his eyes, telling her, “Believe me, I don't want to do this either. I hate witches, and not to mention, we're gonna be surrounded by girls in tutus and tiaras. I couldn't be more uncomfortable if I tried.”

Sam quips, “Tiaras are only for crowning, Dean. And actually, this pageant is all natural.”

Charlie seems to be a little more relaxed by hearing this, “All natural? You sure that's not in quotes, and they actually want us wearing fake tans, fake teeth, fake hair and everything?”

Sam shakes his head, telling her, “Nope. All natural, all the way. None of that is allowed. Just what you bring to the table.”

Charlie's sure she's missing something, “Are you serious? What bizarro, alternate universe have I stepped into here?”

Sam laughs, and assures her, “I know. It looks like we got seriously lucky. Put it this way. The witch could not have picked a pageant that would suit you better. If it helps, I have the rules pulled up.”

Charlie decides to listen. Maybe it'll help her calm down some. “Go ahead. I seriously need to hear this for myself.”

Sam pays no mind to that, starting off with the first rule, “First off, we have a few days before the actual pageant, so we need to spend that time getting you ready. Which in this case means getting you a dress, swimsuit, and an outfit of choice.”

Charlie scoffs, not impressed, “That's actually a rule?”

Sam quickly says, “No. The rule is that we need to send in a photograph of you, completely 100% natural. No makeup, no Photoshop, nothing.”

Charlie definitely wasn't expecting that, “Well, we might as well give up on the hunt now! I'm not exactly photogenic!”

It's Dean that speaks up this time, “Oh I don't know about that. They said no makeup, but they didn't say anything about clearing up blemishes the old fashioned way.” 

Charlie glares at him, “Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!”

Sam goes on to the second rule, “If you're between 8 and 12 years old, you can't have any makeup on whatsoever. However, if you're a little older, you can use the bare minimum, like mascara, or lip gloss.”

Dean shudders, “I don't even want to ask why a girl would put all that gunk on their face in the first place.”

Charlie asks, moving right along, “Okay, what about the dress I have to wear?”

Sam tells her, “The dress the girl wears has to be simple, not glitzy or fashionable. In fact, all natural pageants encourage the girls to wear a dress that speaks to them. Something the girl herself feels comfortable in. You can also mix and match to go with your personality.”

Well that's definitely interesting. “But just a dress? Isn't that kinda bland?”

Sam goes on, “You can use accessories, anything from a scarf to sunglasses. Again, the point is that it all comes together to show your personality.”

Okay, so far, all of this is sounding better than she thought. But with all that in mind, “But if that's all we can do, what are the judges looking for?”

Sam skims for the requested information, “It says that they're judging based off 'natural beauty’. Meaning, you really have to look like you're actually happy to be there, all the way up to the smile on your face.”

Charlie sighs, “So I'm gonna have to fake it?”

Sam's quick to deny it, “Nope. Fake smiles are a big no-no. So either you're gonna have to give a convincing fake smile, or you're gonna have to change your mind about pageants super quick.”

Charlie groans, “This is getting worse by the minute. Please tell me I can at least practice the questions.”

Sam attempts to tell the gently, “I'm afraid that's not gonna be easy either. Since we don't know what exactly the questions will be, we can't practice them. Also, in all natural pageants, they want your response to be genuine. So, I guess our focus has to be on your look. Which means your dresses, swimsuit, and outfit of choice. Everything else is up to you.”

Charlie glares at Sam, “Are you seriously telling me I can't rehearse anything at all? That's even worse than all the fake glitzy pageants!”

Sam admits, “I know. It's tough, but you're a tough girl. If anyone can do it, it's you.”

Charlie appreciates the encouragement, but she can't deny the whole thing has her just a but freaked out.

“What am I suppose to…” Charlie trails off, because despite her objections, all of what Sam said is now rattling around her brain. Which reminds her,

“How young am I going to be for this, anyway? And how do I know something won't go horribly wrong, and I'm stuck that way forever?”

Dean puts a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, easy there, Red. We'll see to it you're back to your annoying, 'What's up bitches’ self once this whole hunt is over and finished. And, because we wanted to make sure you weren't aged took far down, we went with the highest age. Unfortunately, that still means you'll be aged down to 17 years old.”

The whole room goes quiet then, Charlie stunned silent, and Rowena, Sam and Dean watching her for her reaction. 

When Charlie finally does speak, they brace themselves, ready for anything that could come out if her mouth.


	5. We are Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just used Google translate for the Latin, so if the translation is off, i apologise.
> 
> Also, the ritual is real. All I really changed is the need for repeating the ritual for ten days.

“Alright. Let's do this thing.”

Naturally, the boys are surprised how quick Charlie's jumped on board, and Dean has to ask, “Not that we're not grateful, but why the sudden change of heart?”

Charlie thinks about it, before responding, “I still think pageants are ridiculous, and that it's no place for someone like me. But Sam helped me see that not all of them are like that. And, if I'm gonna be my most natural self, then I can't exactly go into this thing with a negative attitude. So, that being said, what do we need to do for the spell?”

Rowena speaks up then, “The spell requires a few ingredients. I'll write them down.” She reaches for a pad of paper on the bed by Sam, and a pen, send starts writing down the ingredients in her loopy scrawl.

Once it's written down, Sam takes the list from her, skimming it. “So 7 candles, a bouquet of lilies, and some incense? That's all?”

Rowena informs him, “That, along with the incantation, as well as this hex bag.”, holding the bag in her hands.

Charlie flinches, “I'm not going to anywhere near that thing.”

Rowena tells her, “Don't worry your head about it, love. This is what ensures that you don't stay young. One of us crushes it in our hand, and you'll be as you are now.”

That doesn't do much to help her relax, but by this point, she's just had to roll with the punches. “Fine. But if anything happens to me, it'll be Sam and Dean you have to answer to, not me.”

Rowena gives an amused smile at that, but otherwise doesn't respond. 

Meanwhile, Sam looks over the list one more time, throws on a jacket, and tells the room, 

“I'll be back with all the stuff we need. Hopefully, before the day's done, we'll finish the ritual, and get started on getting you ready for the pageant. Dean,” he adds in a warning, “Do not say or do anything to try and talk her out. Neither of us like it, but it is what it is.” ten he leaves.

“Yes, mom.” Dean says, exasperated.

The remaining three keep themselves busy while they wait for Sam to come back, with Rowena looking over the spell one more time, send Dana and Charlie just playing poker.

And then, the door swings open, and Sam walks through it, plastic bag and bouquet of flowers in hand.

“Jesus. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find pink candles? Or gold ones for that matter? Guess rituals like this are more popular than I thought. Probably a bunch of morons who don't know what they're doing.” Sam grumbles, setting his purchases on the table. 

Dean gets up then, clapping his hands together, “All right! Let's get this show on the road.”

But Sam has other ideas, “Not so fast. I just drove all over town, and the next town over for this stuff. I need food.”, and he goes to the kitchen to grab some leftovers.

Waiting for Sam to finish is tedious, now that they're that much closer to performing the ritual.

Sam's oblivious at first, happily chomping away at his food, but upon seeing the three of them staring at him, he snaps, “I'm not gonna go any faster just cause you're staring at me! I promise, as soon as I'm done, we'll get started on the ritual right away.”

The other three try to keep busy, but thankfully, Sam does finish, and once that's done, Sam stands up, and upon seeing this, Dean immediately asks Rowena, “Alright. We're ready. How's this spell work?”

Rowena traces a finger over the text in front of her,

“Set up two golden candles, then put the Lily bouquet in the middle.”

The setup takes no more than a few seconds, which prompts Rowena to continue,

“Set the incense in front of the flowers, and put the pink candle right behind it, surrounding the other golden candles around it.”

Again, this takes just a few seconds to set up. 

Rowena informs them, “Now's where I receive the incantation. I'd step back.”

Sam and Dean do so, but Charlie stays where she is, in front of the weird little setup on the table.

Rowena lights the two candles next to the bouquet, and the incense, and when she speaks, it's in a foreign tongue, one even Sam and Dean can only make out a few words,

“Haec dea offero lvi. In reditu cum Charlie benedicat clara pubertatem iuventus.”

The air in the room starts to change, signalling the ritual is starting to work.

Rowena lights the pink candle next, while simultaneously reciting, 

“Hic non stat, a puero usque clara, quam iterum pubertatem semen illius erit.”

The air makes the hairs on their necks stand up, the power of the ritual increasing with every word.

Then, Rowena lights the remaining candles clockwise, reciting,

“Hic est Lux splendida de eius adventu pubertatem ita ut benedicat sibi.”

Rowena waits a few moments, to let the flames grow taller, before reciting,

“O lvi, divina spiritus pubertatem, mitte pubertatem usque Charlie lux aurea, et fac ei iuvenes iterum.”

Rowena goes on to repeat this 17 times, before instructing Charlie,

“Alright, dear. Now it's your turn. Imagine your 17 year old self, enjoying your everyday life.”

Charlie tries to protest, “But i-.”

Rowena cuts her off, “Do it now!”

Charlie complies, closing her eyes, and trying to picture a time when she was 17, when she was happy.

She must've done something right, because she feels something begin to change.

The others feel it as well, as the flames of the candles grow even taller, before they blast a bright light, so powerful, Sam and Dean have to cover their eyes.

Rowena, however, can't look away, as once the flames die down again, she blows the candles out one by one, in reverse order.

When she looks up, she gives a small smile, informing the boys,

“The ritual is complete.”

Sam and Dean take a moment to wait for the blinding to clear, but once they do, they're not sure who's more shocked at what they see in Charlie's place.

An adorable, 17 year old girl, with a few bits here and there, but otherwise, she looks like she could be an oversized 10 year old. She's the most adorable thing they've ever seen.

“Um.” Sam tries to say, but he's still tongue tied.

Dean's a little better, actually managing to get a word out, “Wow.”

But Charlie's still her usual self, telling them, “What? I get de aged, and suddenly you can't talk? Say something!”

And that seems to be the thing to snap them out of it, because Sam speaks next,

“I guess we're just a little... surprised?”

Charlie laughs, an adorable laugh that makes her whole body move, and says, “Surprised? I'm still me, regardless of what I look like.”

Dean finally recovers, asking, “How do you feel?”

The question surprises her, having not considered this, but after a moment, she replies, “I feel...more energetic. Wow. Guess I didn't realize how much adulthood takes out of you. If this is how being young feels, I think I can pull it off.”

Sam smiles, glad this is working out better for them than they thought.

Rowena hands over a hex bag, informing them, “This is what will ensure this wee one doesn't stay this way forever. Once you're ready to turn her back, crush it, and the spell breaks.”

Then, she picks up her book, and begins to turn to leave, telling them,

“I'll meet up with you three later. All this spell work has left me feeling my age. A spa day is in order.”

And then she goes, leaving Sam and Dean with a newly 17 year old Charlie Bradbury.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments comments comments!


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